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The Truth Behind Trump’s Claim of 300,000 ‘Lost’ Migrant Children”
In a bold statement during his Time Magazine “Person of the Year” interview, Donald Trump accused the Biden administration of losing track of over 300,000 migrant children, claiming many are now victims of trafficking, slavery, or even dead. But how much of this is fact, and how much is political fiction? Let’s break it down.
Trump’s accusation sounded alarming: “We have 325,000 children here during Democrats — and this was done by Democrats — who are right now slaves, sex slaves, or dead,” he declared. That’s a horrifying image, the kind of soundbite designed to grab headlines and stir outrage. But a closer look reveals that this claim distorts the facts and misrepresents the real challenges within the U.S. immigration system.
So, where did this 300,000 figure come from? And is there any truth behind it?
The number seems to have emerged from a DHS report released earlier this year. The report showed that between fiscal year 2019 and May 2024:
- 291,000 unaccompanied children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border hadn’t been issued court notices promptly.
- 32,000 children missed their immigration court dates.
On the surface, this could sound like a crisis of accountability. But here’s the catch: these numbers do…
